Sermon Central
-
Unfinished Business Part 3 Series
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 30, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: The church needs to complete the unfinished business of doing what is good. Many of us have been given a task that is unfinished by the Lord and He wants us to complete it for Him. He wants us to do what is good. The result - if we accept these missions i
Unfinished Business-Do what is good! Titus Part 3
Thesis: The church needs to complete the unfinished business of doing what is good. Many of us have been given a task that is unfinished by the Lord and He wants us to complete it for Him. He wants us to do what is good. The result - if we accept these missions is that many will come to understand the truth, many will embrace the truth and many will live by the truth.
Video Illustration: From Mission Impossible 2 the beginning when Tom Cruise gets the mission on the mountain top.
Texts:
Galatians 6:9: 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Chapter 3:1-8
1Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
1. We are to do the good at our places of work so God is attractive to our employers and our fellow workers.
a. The slaves - employees were to be taught to do what is good at their places of employment.
i. Many today would say we don’t have slaves today. But really a slave was one who worked for another. The slave and master relationship is like employee and employer relationships today.
b. So we can apply this healthy teaching to work place relationships. We are instructed in this passage on what to do and what not to do.
i. The slave or the employee needs to be subject to the master, the employer.
1. In other words we as Christians should be willing to serve our employers faithfully. And do what they require us to do in our job descriptions.
2. Subject points toward the attitude of servant-hood. It’s a willingness to have a servant attitude with our employers.
ii. The slave was to please the master – the employee should seek to please the boss or bosses.
1. Many in our society today think it is the other way around.
a. "The question ’Who ought to be boss?’ is like asking, ’Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously, the man who can sing tenor."--Henry Ford
b. But today we see so many people who want to tell the bosses what to do.
c. Many people today think they should be able to go onto a job site and then do what ever they think is right.
2. But the truth is we are to please our employers by being their best workers. We are instructed in the Word to do our job and do it with our whole heart.
a. I Cor. 10:31:11:1: 31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—33even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 11:1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
